Larson children have 44 years of memories of Dad in office
Editor's note: This essay is part of a souvenir special section on Al Larson's 32 years as Schaumburg village president.
When the Daily Herald asked us to share memories of our Dad in office with them, we thought, "where do we begin?" After 44 years, it's difficult for us to recall when our Dad didn't hold an elected role with the village - for two of the five of us, it's been our whole lives.
With that said, we are happy to share some of our recollections, from way back when, to not so long ago.
Septemberfest used to be at Atcher Park. School always started the day after Labor Day so this was the last hurrah. Dodging in and out to hunt down Dad among the crowd, finding him talking and laughing. Interrupting him to get more money for rides and games. Such simple priorities ... the good old days.
The village hall used to be smaller - or at least it seemed that way! We can remember running up the interior ramp at the side entrance across from the parking lot, and hearing our footsteps echo as they slapped against the cement. A few years back, probably for safety reasons, they overlaid a rubber coating on that ramp. Pity, as it doesn't make that nice "smack" sound anymore.
Sometimes, while waiting for Dad, we'd entertain ourselves in the conference room adjoining his office. Elaine Jagielski, Dad's executive assistant at that time (the first of two amazing executive assistants he has been blessed with), letting us "draw" on her word processor. When we tired of that, we'd look at the zoning map, trying to decipher it and asking Dad why Schaumburg didn't just take over unincorporated areas or otherwise expand. That's when we first heard the term "infrastructure" while he explained that ultimately, expansion was Schaumburg's focus. Thoughtful expansion.
While Dad focused on the infrastructure, Mom focused on community activities like chairing the community blood program and League of Women Voters, being on the service league for a suburban hospital, being a 24-hour FISH telephone volunteer, and launching The Jennings Home for Girls. Both our parents instilled in us the importance of community engagement.
School was always a high priority in our family, and working on school projects was interesting if Dad got involved. We can recall being up late - way too late from stalling - creating a 3-D model residential community, using cardboard as a base and those little fir trees and things that people used to decorate toy train set routes. Dad telling us that we needed a sound buffer between the homes and the main roadway. What elementary school kid knows what a berm is?
Conversely, we have memories of walking through Spring Valley Nature Center. We'd listen to Dad explain the importance of understanding nature, pointing out different plants (Queen Anne's lace!) and reminding us to pick up our feet when walking so we didn't scare away any animals we might see. Dad has always cared about improving the community while understanding and preserving its history.
The outdoor stage at the village hall brought the Summer Breeze Concert series. Packing snacks, chairs and a blanket to hike across the lawn and set up our spot. Stopping along the way to say hello to women and men who had become aunts, uncles, family. Laying on our backs and watching the clouds while listening to Jazz and Big Band - never acknowledging we might be enjoying even one moment.
Most recently, we have been helping Dad clean out his office - no small feat. A person can accumulate quite a lot in 30+ years. Carmen Selke, Dad's executive assistant for the last 15 of them, has been a godsend - locating boxes when needed, redirecting items to others in the village who may find them useful, patiently and graciously continuing to work at her desk while we holler back and forth, over and at her.
We cleared off shelves and emptied drawers to discover mountains of paperwork but also items representing Schaumburg's immense diversity, from local temples to the baseball stadium to Sister Cities engagement with Germany and Japan. From photos of Chicago-area celebrities to photos of Congress people and presidents. Most importantly, we discovered a file dedicated to letters written over the years by village residents, expressing their thoughts on present and future activities, or their gratitude for Dad's help in explaining or addressing a concern. While some of the issues seemed trivial to us, Dad saw their importance to the writers, and felt strongly enough to save the correspondence.
While these discoveries were engaging - even moving - our favorite discovery, by far, was the yellow Teletubbie. "Dad, there must be a story about this?" we asked. Sure enough, there was. Seems Dad was the murderer, disguised as a life-size yellow Teletubbie, in a mystery theater production at the Prairie Center.
We wish we had been there to hear the crowd gasp when he unmasked. Yep, we thought. That's our Dad. Willing to dress up in a ridiculous costume to bring a smile or a laugh.
Over the years, Dad's been willing to do whatever it takes for the people and the village. That's where his heart is. That's where it will always be, regardless of where his office is.